what is the best all around trap?

i like duke 1 3/4,ive caught coon fox coyote bobcat grinners,its worked well for me.

I would say the 2s

I would say the 2's. 3's are pretty big for anything other than coyote and front foot on beaver. You can still use the 2's for fox and coon as well as coyote.

Depends on what your targetting i like them both

Well if it has to be one or the other then it is a no brainer to go with the #2. It is a better trap for the smaller stuff like coon and mink and is a great trap for coyotes, foxes and bobcats. Somewhat light for beaver, but if you make the right drown set rig, it can work in a pinch.

I could be wrong, but i think that use of the #3 for landsets is illegal in some states.

I would also add, with either trap get offset and laminated jaws. This will make them more user friendly for the coons and mink or smaller furbearers.

Mez,

I have never used a #3 with offset jaws, so am not really sure. But it would seem to me that a trap that size with that size of a gap between the jaws may not be able to close far enough to even get a decent hold on some small to medium mink. Would be interested to hear from folks who have had experience with the offset #3's for small stuff whether it was good or bad.

Everything I have is offset. I don't use many 3's at all. I have a few that are 4 coiled that I set for front foot on beaver with a drowning rig. Other than that I don't use them. Too big to bed the darn things for coyote and they are overkill IMO.

Don't think a #3 offset would hold a mink, I should have been more specific and said get the 2'd off set and laminated. #3 with no offset is going to break a leg on a mink and you would end up with a ring out. Would guess it would do the same to a coon unless you caught him deep on a back leg. #3 is not a good choice. They are nice if you are targeting bobcats as the wider jawspread helps with their bigger feet and for front footing a beaver. Other than that not a real useable trap and like you said, darn sure not a good all around choice.

Mez,

In your experience with offsets have you had a higher frequency of pull outs when you are using them in water sets?